“We knew years ago that God wanted to prepare us for the adoption process. With four kids already it was a bit of a daunting thought, but God consistently taught us he would provide and guide our path. We were told it could take 1-3 years to be matched to a child (and save up more funds), but only 3 weeks after being approved in the Bulgaria program we were matched with Rosa. A month later we were told our van engine was giving out, and a month after that I was laid off from my job. The grant awarded to us from Rollstone Foundation was nothing short of a God-send in a crazy time of life for our family. Organizations like Rollstone speak to God’s provision of his children around the world, and the families like ours who pursue their hearts. We can’t thank you enough for the support to help Rosa coming home to us!” – Joshua & Jessica Carrington

Rollstone’s grant enabled our family to go forward and adopt Martha when she was eleven years old from Ethiopia.  Martha is HIV+ which is very manageable here in the US, but which severely limited her living options in Ethiopia.  Because of her status she was a special needs child, which required a few extra provisions in the adoption process.  These grants make it possible for families to bear the burden of the up front adoption costs.  There are always more expenses once the children are home so that the extra care they need is covered, but your help can make it possible for children to receive the very best care with the love of a supportive family.  Thank you for helping us to bring Martha into our home.  She is a joy to our family.

We are so thankful for the help that Rollstone Foundation gave to our family in bringing our son home to us from China. He has waited 10 long years for a family. We can’t wait to welcome him at the end of May into our family. God has moved mountains for us to adopt our child. We have got to witness His awesome blessings as we stepped out in faith to bring Ty home. He has used various followers as well as wonderful grants like the Rollstone Foundation. $31,000 can be a daunting number when considering adoption, but our God is a big God. When He calls us and we trust Him we get to witness His faithfulness. He truely does make our hearts to look more like His everyday. He makes His desires become our desires. I encourage families to listen to God’s call and move. Thank you Rollstone Foundation for making a difference in a little boy’s life and helping him to become part of a family.

Sincerely,

Lori and Jared Denton

When we adopted Mekdes and Tigist in 2011, Rollstone’s incredibly generous grant was such a bright spot in what turned out to be a difficult process to get our girls home.  To this day, we remain amazed that we were so fortunate as to be on the receiving end of the wonderful work that Rollstone and its generous donors accomplish.

When God called us specifically to adoption and Africa, there was a temptation to ignore and in disobedience, walk away. Our family was victim of the dark economic times. We were in the middle of unemployment and losing our home. Our children had been openly praying for more siblings, but Paul and I just weren’t sure. We considered the weight of the financial responsibilities that come hand-in-hand with growing and raising a family. More children? Adoption hadn’t even occurred to us prior to that, but as we surrendered in prayer to God’s voice, we realized that thoughts of mission trips to North Africa and our heart for orphans and widows were one in the same. We heard clearly that God was calling us to adopt. When we said “Yes” to God’s will, we watched Him move faithfully on His behalf – and on our family’s behalf. Paul was shown favor with an excellent company after nearly two years of unemployment and temporary side jobs. We also felt God’s leading and sovereignty as we held garage sales, candle sales, bracelet sales, babysat for friends, organized a spaghetti dinner and silent auction, sold handmade crafts and baked goods, and so much more to fund our adoption. We were placed on a wait list for siblings from Ethiopia with no gender or age requests; just whomever God had already planned to be Gregersens. On December 1, 2012 a dear friend sent us a picture of two beautiful little boys who needed a forever family. They had been placed in waiting, but the youngest of the two was HIV+ and families just weren’t scrambling at the door to take on that responsibility. There is no way I can explain the feeling I had when I saw that picture. The label of “HIV” brought absolutely no fear or doubt. It was as if God showed me that the only special needs both of these boys had were for parents and a family who would love them just for who they are. We moved forward in accepting the referral but that meant changing agencies, which meant starting over with agency fees, etc. We needed to raise another $22,000 in two weeks! I had already applied for several grants with only one small, local foundation coming through with support. I heard about Rollstone through another adoptive family, so once again, I prayed and sent our application in. When Mr. Dawidziak contacted me and told me we had been selected to receive a grant, I nearly fell to my knees in praise. I know God knew all along who would partner with us in our journey to bring our boys home. He planned that Rollstone would have part in saving my son’s lives and truly bringing proper medical treatment and health to our baby! We are honored to be acknowledged and supported by Rollstone. Their heart for orphans and adoptive families is intense and real. We will forever be grateful to them and their willingness to “join our family” as we brought our boys home. Grants for adoption, specifically for special needs children, aren’t just “a bonus”. The additional costs involved in healthcare, medications, treatments and testing, travel and resources add up to so much more than anyone can imagine. The grant we received from Rollstone helped lift some of that additional stress as we brought the boys home and allowed us to focus on the emotional energy and time invested in getting our little guy healthy. We have a lifetime of additional costs now, but the cost that would’ve been paid by our Eli had he not been able to come home may have ended up being his life. I thank the Lord everyday that He provided the means to bring Elijah and his brother, Simon, home to our family.

Sincerely and with such great fondness, Britney Carr